Blog Entry #4 – “Childhood Rebellion” – Due Oct. 4(B) / 5(E,G)

An unavoidably important element of Persepolis is the “coming-of-age” journey of Marji. While the book’s historical and political content is obviously crucial, I would argue that the book, at its core, is the story of one girl’s complex transition from childhood into adolescence and adulthood.

The process and struggles associated with growing up are a staple in so many powerful stories. In such stories, common themes include the destruction of innocence and some form of rebellion — something we already discussed a bit when we read The Good Earth. We’ll be talking about this more holistically in class, but since little Marji is so wonderfully rebellious, I thought it would be fun for you completely innocent and non-rebellious teenagers to reflect on this topic 🙂

Drawing inspiration from Satrapi and even the sons in The Good Earth, respond in your blog to any of the following questions. Is teenage rebellion unavoidable? Can it be considered a necessary or even good part of what it means to “come of age”? What do you think are the typical motivating factors when teenagers rebel? AND (if you want to get personal) do you feel like some kind of rebellion has played a significant part in your own coming-of-age journey?